Mercury switch and the like



Ag. 9, 1932. s HELD 1,871,177

MERCURY SWITCH AND THE LIKE Filed July 2. 1950 double `pole type.,

` after described and claimed.

Patented ug. 9, 1932 sinernrnn Henn, or' arriendo;"nmtrirlorsY MERCURY SWITCH` NID THEV LIKE Application led'uly'Z, 1930. Serial- No'. 465,384.v

rllhis inventions haseto do with; improvements in mercury switches and the'lile. The features `herein disclosed have reference particularly. to. improvements in mercury T5 switches of whatA may bedesignated as a double pole, double throw construction-that ista construction in( which, the switchA is provided withtwo poles andi can be thrown into either of; two positions,

'7&3 @ne ofjthe,` objectsof the invention is to provide a'switch of very siinpl'e-formand construction embody-ing` the features just above referred to'and a constructionin which the parts are very. coinpactly arranged and are ra so located. and relatedl to. each other that the-.necessary relationship is producedwith a minimum numberof parts andcontacts.

Another feature ofI the invention relates to the provision of a construction such that no the operationssofactually openingandzclosv ing the. circuit are; performedby themercury bathy itself and; by establishing or discontinuinggcontact betweentwo. portions i of said bath, as-V distinguished from those arrange- 'lio ments-in which` the making andl breakingl yof the circuit is performed byu establishing and discontinuing connection` between a Contact and the mercury bath.

InI connection withI the foregoing, it is a lao further object ofthe invention to so relate the parts that the? above results cani be secured in a switch construction ofthe double pole type.

A further feature relates to theprovi'sion of an arrangement such thatV the operations of actually making and` breaking' the circuit are performed in the position of bridge piece or-weir;; andra furtherobject is to accomplish this result ini. switches of the Other object'sand. uses of the invent-ion will appear: fromy as detailed: description ofthe I saine which consists in: the features of construction and combinationsV of parts hereintially on` thelines l-l ofFigfures; 2'- andff 3", looking inthe direction of; the arrows; n Figure 2, 'shows a vertical; section substantially on the. line 2 2' of Figure l, look;` ing, in the direction of the arrowsthefswitch 55 being tilted'towards the left so.that' the connections are made at, the left hand contacts and; are broken at'the right: hand contacts;v

liifgurev 3. showsv a view similar to that of Figure l, looking in the directionof the arrows, the switchl beingI tilted towards the right, sowthatthe connection is established at the right hand contactsand is` broken at the: leftl hand.: contacts ;A 55 Figurellshows a crosssection; on theline 1T-4; of Figurev l, looking in; the direction of the arrows.; and i i.

Figure 5 shows a cross section on` the line 5,-5 of `Figure 1,.lookingfinthe,direction of 7o the arrows.

rEhe` switch construction :illustrated: includes a.` body member 6, the central por'- tion off` which is of; relatively narrow size whicln is enlarged vertically; Said body 75 member includes-a pair of longitudinally en; tending` passages or compartments Z and.' 8 which are relatively thin andi deepr These compartmentsare separated bythe partition 9` which reachesfthe full height of the body 8o member 6. v Each. end: of the device is enlarged hor'f'F Zontally` asbest shnwn-y in- Figure 1,:so as.- to provideth'e supplemental: Contact chambers Y lO-and l1 atoneend, and 12; ands 155i atthe other end. Thcseeontact chambers arepref enably of? the fnllheightof the body'member.

Furthermore, the: end portions' of thede` vice are preferably brought into', circular form so.` aste receive the enclosing caps` ll 93 andy l5;` and'l preferably the disk. washers 16 and;- 17 arev setbetween thesel capsy and the end portions of the` body member so as to establish liquid tight connections. c

The compautments 105` 111,125. and? 1'3; areV 95 preferablyv set-off fnomi the adjacent endi por:- tionsof the compartments 7' and; 8;by means ofthe partitions, 123319,20;l and,4 2l.` The lower' portions of these partitionsentend the full length of the; bodyA membeuz andl VintoY l openings 22, 23, 24, and 25,A which establish lateral communication between the end portions of the compartments 7 and 8 and the adjacent compartments 10, 11, 12, and 13.

Central contact pins 26 and 27 reach downwardly in the central portions ofthecompartments 7 and 8. Other contact pins 28, 29, 30, and 31, reach downwardly in the respective end compartments 10, 1,1,Y 12, and 13, preferably behind the respective lateral openings 22, 23, 24,-and 25, and. adjacent to the positions of the partitions 18, 19, 20, and 21. All of the contact pins 26, 27, 28, 29, 30 and 31, reach close to the floor of the body member 6.

-.The body member 6 isvmade of suitable insulating material, preferably bakelite or other condensation vproduct which can be moulded; and the vend caps 14 and 15 are preferably of iron or other metal which is Y not subject to corrosion or disintegration by the action of mercury or the like.

A body of metallic mercury is placed in each side of the device, the two bodies of mercury being at all times separated and insulated from each other by means of the central partition 9. Upon tilting the device in the position of Figure 2, the respective bodies of mercury will run over to the left hand end and will establish contact between the central contact pins 26 and 27 and the end contact pins 28 and 29 respectively. Upon tilting the -device over into the position of Figure 3, the mercury will flow towards the right hand end. As the'level of the mercury at the left hand end thus falls, the two bodies of mercury willbreak over the respective partitions 18 and 19, thereby breaking contact between the pins 26 andl 27, and 28 and 29, respec# tively. At the same time the flow of mercury towards the right hand end willlcause the level to rise vat that end suficiently to cause the respective bodies of mercury to flow past the respective partitions and 21 and thus e' establish connection between the pins 26 and 27 and 30 and 31, respectively.

Preferably the parts are-so proportioned andthe amount of mercury presentis such that the circuit is in each instance broken at the left hand end before it is established at the right hand end. In this way the possi-v,

bility of improper establishment of connections is avoided. At the same time, vit is preferred that the bodies of mercury maintain "f connection at all times with the central pins 26 and 27, respectively, as indicated in Figures 2 and 3. Furthermore, the pins 28, 29, 30, Yand 31, will at all times maintain connection with thebodies of mercury trapped i in the respective compartments 10, 11,12 and 13, so that assurance is had that the making and breaking of thedifferent circuits is accomplished by connection and breaking of bodies of mercury over the partitions.

If desired, baffles or partitions such as 32 may be formed on the body member so as to prevent improper connection between the upwardly projecting endsof therespective pins. Also, if desired, the interior of the body member may be filled with suitable insulating and arcv extinguishing liquid aboveV the respective bodies ofmercury.

While I have herein shown and described only a single embodiment of the features of my present invention, still I dovnot intend to limit myself thereto except as I may do so in the claims. f

I claim: v Y

1. As a new article of manufacture, a switch comprising a body memberv formed of insulating material and having a pair of longitudinally extending compartments reaching the full height of the body member throughout their lengt-h, a vertical partition separating said compartments and insulating them yfrom each other, a lateral chamber adjacent to each end of each compartment, there being an opening connecting each chamber aforesaid with the end portion of the adjacent compartment, said openings being located above the floors of the respective chambers and compartments, a pair of central contacts in the lower central portions of the compartments, a contact in each of said lateral chambers, a body of metallic mercury or the like within each compartment and the adjoining chambers, and suitable insulating and arc extinguishing liquid within each compartment and the adjoining chambers above the level of the metallicmercury therein, the

arrangement being such that when the device is tilted in one direction the bodies of metallic mercury flow to one end thereof and lill the chambers and that end of the compartments to a level to establish electrical connections from the compartments through the respective lateral openings into the respective adjoining chambers and thereby establish electrical connections from the central contacts to the contacts within the end chambers aforesaid, and whereby when the device is tilted in the other direction the bodies of metallic mercury flow to the'other ends'of the respective compartments and break over the openings establishing communication at the chambers of the first mentioned end and establish connection through the openings at the second mentioned p extending compartments separated and insulated from each other byy a vertical par# tition, an end chamber laterally adjacent to each end of each of said compartments, there eoV being openings between the ends of the compartments and the laterally adjacent chambers, said openings being located above the Hoors of the compartments and chambers and further from the center of the device than the inner ends of the respective chambers, te thereby establish weirs between the ends of the compartments and the adjacent chambers, contact members in the central portions of the compartments, contact members in the yend chambers located closer to the central portion of the device than the openings aforesaid, and bodies of metallic mercury or the like within the compartments and the end chambers, substantially as described.

3. In a device of the class described, the combination of a bodymember of insulating material having a pair of longitudinally e-- tending compartments separated and insulated from each other by a vertical partition, an end chamber laterally adjacent to each end of each of said compartments, there being openings between the ends of the compartments and the laterally adjacent chambers, said openings being located above the floors of the compartments and chambers and further from the center of the device than the inner ends of the respective chambers, to thereby establish weirs between the ends of the compartments and the adjacent chambers, contact members in the central portions of the compartments, contact members in the end chambers, and bodies of metallic mercury or the like within the compartments and the end chambers, substantially as described.

4. In a device of the class described, the combination of a body member of insulating material having a pair of longitudinally extending compartments, a vertical partition separating said compartments from each other, lateral chambers adjacent to the end portions of said compartments, there being openings between the end portions of the compartments and the adjacent chambers, contact members in the central portions of the compartments, contact members in the chambers, a body of metallic mercury or the like within each compartment and the end chambers therefor and suitable insulating and arc extinguishing liquid within each compartment and the end chambers thereof above the metallic mercury therein, substantially as described.

5. In a device of the class described, the combination of a body member of insulating material having a pair of longitudinally extending compartments, a vertical partition separating said compartments vfrom each other, lateral chambers adjacent to the end portions of said compartments, there being openings between the end portions of the compartments and the adjacent chambers, Contact members in the central portions of the compartments,contact members in the chambers, and a body of metallic mercury or the. like within each compartment and the end chamber therefor, substantially as described.

6. In a device of the class described, the combination of a body member of insulating material, a longitudinally extending compartment therein, a chamber laterally adjacent to each end of said compartment, there being an opening between the upper outer corner of the compartment at each end and the adjacent end chamber, a central contact member in the central portion of the compartment, an end contact member in each chamber located closer to the center of the device than the adjacent opening aforesaid, and a body of metallic mercury or the like within the compartment and the end chambers, substantially as described.

7. Ina device of the class described, the combination of a body member of insulating material, a longitudinally extending compartment therein, a chamber laterally adjacent to each `end of said compartment, there being an opening between the upper outer corner of the compartment at each end and the adjacent end chamber, a central contact member in the central portion of the compartment, an end contact member in each chamber, and a body of metallic mercury or the like within the compartment and the end chambers, substantially as described. SIEGFRIED HELD. 

